While initially intrigued by the premise of this book, I did not mesh with the writing style therefore I was unable to finish this book.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

Karma Brown absolutely broke my heart with this story!! Tragedy and guilt can lead us to all kinds of things, and in This Moment explores this very well.

3.5 stars

Brown's latest is a fascinating look at what guilt can do to a person and how it can shape their entire life. Meg is a character easy to identify with, and it's understandable that, as a mother, she takes responsibility for something that really isn't her fault. It's also tragic, yet totally believable, that some other women also hold her responsible. Brown's writing style is emotional and thought-provoking, and the way she unfolds a story is dramatic, yet tender. She pushes readers to explore tough issues within the comfort of a fictional tale.
Meg Pepper and her husband Ryan are successful, busy people who balance their lives around each other and their teenage daughter Audrey. As Meg is driving Audrey home from school, she sees Jack, the twin brother of Audrey's boyfriend, waiting to cross the street. Meg stops and waves him across, and seemingly out of nowhere an SUV hits Jack, injuring him severely. The aftermath of this one decision reminds Meg of guilt she still feels regarding an incident from her own teen years. As she works to help the family in order to make herself feel better, Meg finds herself spiraling out of control, trying to assuage her feelings and make everyone happy around her.

One of my favorite people in the world, my dear friend Allison is a massive Karma Brown fan. So I have been meaning to get to her books for what feels like forever. Finally I got the chance to just sit down and read In This Moment by Karma Brown. The experience was one that I am absolutely willing to repeat. I am so glad that I waited to read this book and read it while I am married with a kid. It just makes it so much easier to relate to the main character and what she’s experiencing in the plot.

In This Moment follows Meg Pepper who is driving her daughter Audrey to a dentist appointment after school when she makes a terrible mistake. She waves a boy, Jack, to cross the road in front of her car. Unfortunately, a driver in the opposite lane doesn’t see Jack and hits him. It’s a horrific accident and Meg blames herself for what happens. The repercussions of this spread throughout Meg’s life, impacting her work as well as her marriage. Meg is unable to focus at work and finds herself screwing up. Meanwhile, she finds herself not maintaining healthy boundaries and trying to do more and more to help Jack’s family – including forming a bit of an unhealthy attachment/friendship with his father Andrew.

And well, the accident brings up some trauma from Meg’s teenage years that it looks like she hasn’t ever really processed. So, Meg is losing sleep. Her daughter is acting in an uncharacteristic way. Plus, she’s feeling distant from her husband, Ryan.

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. The chapters are short. Meg is so compelling – the woman just needs a break. I can see how her exhaustion and overwhelmed state is driving a lot of her bad choices. Plus all the pressure she puts on herself. I loved her friendship with Julie. Also, how she batch cooks and how I should probably do that after learning how to cook. ALSO In This Moment is therapy positive which also very much appreciate. Definitely would recommend – particularly if you’re also an overwhelmed person – it’s great to wind down with.

Everything changes in a moment...and 'In This Moment' by Karma Brown explores the repercussions of how a split second decision can change everything.
Meg Pepper is happy with her lot; her family, her home life, her career, until the school run turns into her biggest nightmare. One afternoon, Meg stops her car and waves a young teenage boy across the road in front of her - totally missing the car that is coming in the opposite direction. As the oncoming car ploughs into the boy breaking his spine, his life changes in a moment, as do the lives of all those around them. Haunted by guilt, Meg is desperate to make amends, and from this moment on begins a ripple effect across the lives of all those she touches, as marriages, trust and relationships are put through the most rigorous of tests!
I found the whole concept of this story fascinating, and the scenario used was a very challenging and current one! Karma Brown writes with great sensitivity and insight into the emotional roller coaster of every day lives when a tragic event disrupts them.
I give this book 5 stars.

If you haven't read Karma Brown's books before you are missing out on some seriously good stories. In This Moment is her latest and it is a powerful read and oh so good. But, just a warning, it'll probably rip your heart out.

Here's the synopsis:
Bestselling author Karma Brown is back with a morally infused and emotionally riveting exploration of one woman's guilt over an unexpected—yet avoidable—tragedy.
Meg Pepper has a fulfilling career and a happy family. Most days she's able to keep it all together and glide through life. But then, in one unalterable moment, everything changes.
After school pickup one day, she stops her car to wave a teenage boy across the street…just as another car comes hurtling down the road and slams into him.
Meg can't help but blame herself for her role in this horrific disaster. Full of remorse, she throws herself into helping the boy's family as he rehabs from his injuries. But the more Meg tries to absolve herself, the more she alienates her own family—and the more she finds herself being drawn to the boy's father, Andrew.
Soon Meg's picture-perfect life is unravelling before her eyes. As the painful secrets she's been burying bubble dangerously close to the surface, she will have to decide: Can she forgive herself, or will she risk losing everything she holds dear to her heart?
I know people are going to say Meg isn't the most likeable character. (Which I didn't know they'd say about Tegan, the main character in Brown's first book, Come Away With Me. I loved the book and really liked Tegan. Turns out I'm one of the few who do and many in my book club weren't a fan, as we learned when Karma came to our club a few months ago.) But, I don't think that should matter. Are you always likeable? Are your friends? No. No one is. No one is perfect and you don't really want to only read books where the characters are always good and perfect and likeable.

Meg is a good person. She's just carrying around a lot of baggage that she hasn't dealt with appropriately. She's tucked everything away and In This Moment is where it all comes spilling (exploding, really) out. At the start of the novel we've caught Meg on the second worst day of her entire life. It took a really long time to finally find out what happened on the worst day of her life. There were hints but the full story didn't come out for awhile (almost too long but not quite). As an outsider, it's so easy to see what could have gone differently had Meg only shared the full extent of her past with her husband (or, you know, anyone). But, you can also see why Meg made the decisions she did. Most of them, anyway.

Many studies have shown that fiction readers are more empathetic and I kept thinking about that as I read this book. I was so twisted up while reading In This Moment. I felt for pretty much every character we meet in this novel (except Andrew's wife, whose name is escaping me, she was under a great deal of stress, of course, but it was really hard to see her side of things...I guess I was Team Meg...). There's a lot of really heavy stuff happening in this novel and that's why I think you'll feel your heart breaking time and time again. It's a good thing because it means Brown has written a story that you can't help but be sucked into completely. It hurts like hell but you'll be better for it when you're done.

And speaking of being done, I absolutely flew through this book and had it finished in two days. I just didn't want to put it down!

I was really happy with Karma Brown's latest book and I think you will be too. In This Moment is such a great read and one that will keep you thinking well after you're done. Lots of "what ifs" and wondering what you would do yourself in certain situations. I'm already waiting for her next novel!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Park Row Books/Harlequin, via NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I absolutely loved The Choices We Make so when I saw this available to request, I decided to give it a try. The synopsis really appealed to me and the book started out well enough and at one point I favorably compared it to Big Little Lies. Unfortunately as the story went along, I liked Meg less and less until the whole cheating thing happened. Yuck. Not for me.

In this timely novel Karma Brown reflects on the results of a split-second decision and how one moment can drastically alter several lives.

Meg Pepper stops one day to wave a teenager across a busy road, but little does she know that another car is hurtling towards him from the other direction, ready to change his life forever. As we find out what happens to that teenaged boy, we find out how Meg's decision has affected not only the boy's life, but his family's and her own.

This novel tugs at the heartstrings as we read about the devastating results of one decision. It caused me to pause and reflect on the little things that we do each day without thinking about them and how they could go horribly wrong in an instant. This was a quick yet satisfying read, and one that kept me coming back for more. I would sneak a chapter in here and there whenever possible! Brown is a talented author who has a way with words and knows how to keep you reading.

I'm a fan of Karma Brown and I'm looking forward to reading what she comes out with next!

Meg is a mom who makes a split decision in one moment that will affect her family for the rest of their lives. It not only changes her life but that of another family as well. As Meg struggles with the guilt of being part of an accident, her daughter Audrey is also struggling with her own issues from the accident.

I felt as if I was experiencing the slow downward spiral with Meg, which was a good thing. It put you in her shoes and living what she was at the same time. I felt horrible for Meg but also wish she would have leaned on her husband or family a bit more.

In This Moment is a beautifully tragic story of how one decision can rip apart your whole life. Meg's journey is full of grief and the search for redemption, and doesn't shy away from some hard truths in life about love and how to move on after one life-altering decision.

Overall I enjoyed this story especially the beginning however it started to unravel for me mid way through and I could not understand what the attraction was for Meg. The author list me at that point.

Really enjoyed this book and its portrayal of real life challenges. Not only the traumatic event that happens but how a mom's life has to continue to be a balancing act throughout while the dad's life seems to go on unobstructed. This is real life!

The author takes you on an emotional journey of relationships, grief and guilt. This was my first time reading one of Karma Brown's novels, and will not be my last! It was such a delightful read and just the break I needed from all the thrillers I've been reading.

I was very impressed with Karma Brown's writing when I came across <i>The Choices We Make</i> last year. I am happy to report that <i>In This Moment</i> did not disappoint. Brown has a way of weaving a story around a character development without making it laden with description. You get to dive right in to the story and feel like you know the characters right from the start.

<i>In This Moment</i> is a story about living with demons and how it effects relationships. When guilt builds up, lies start rearing their ugly heads and relationships breakdown. This is a real and raw look at the life of a busy, hardworking mom with a story to tell, but who chooses to keep it bottled up until she breaks. I felt her emotions and because of that, I knew what she was going through with her teenage daughter and husband.

This is a well-written and quick read. Don't miss it. Karma Brown is inching her way up to being one of my top authors.

In This Moment is a book full of emotion - feelings of guilt, heartbreak, jealously, love, anger, and more. In the same spirit as Nicholas Sparks, this novel speaks of the moments that can change your life, but also talks about the consequences that your actions can bring.

There were several moments where In This Moment had me in tears, but also several moments where I was basically screaming "WHY?" at the characters. Again, this book is all about consequences, so of course they actions that happen throughout the book has a purpose, but will also really frustrate you (in the best way, because hey, if everything was perfect, there'd be no story).

Things I didn't like about the book? The writing changed often from present to past tense. I understood what the author was trying to do with this, but it was very aggravating to me that the tense would change so often.

The ending of the book is a love/hate type situation for me. I was not completely satisfied with the ending. Seriously, the climax of the book happened in the very last chapter and was followed by an epilogue, so I felt like I didn't have time to fully process the ending, but I was also please because I felt like the protagonist really got what she deserved.

While women's fiction isn't generally what I choose to read, I was glad I read this book, and I think fans of Nicholas Sparks and Emily Giffin will really enjoy this novel.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Just when you think you have Karma Brown’s writing style figured out- she changes it up.

In Karma’s previous books- the story leads up to a shocking event- an event where multiple boxes of Kleenex are used as Karma basically rips your heart out and stomps all over it. However, In This Moment- you know the shocking event- it tells it on the back cover, it’s revealed in the first 30 pages or less in the book. In this book, Karma deals with the aftermath of what happens to families after an accident that could have been avoided if fates hadn’t aligned in a certain way.



What I liked:

The realness of this book. Texting while driving is an issue- not only for young people, but adults. Karma’s not preachy with this issue- she simply uses it to provide background to her story and maybe even to make us think a bit more…

The reactions of the families. At one point in the book- the mother of the boy in the accident won’t let her other son get in the car with Meg because she doesn’t want him to get hurt. At first, you kinda want to be like “MEG didn’t cause the accident- it was another person!” But the more you think about it- that mom has a point. Meg had a lapse of judgement and while I don’t think she should have to walk around wearing a scarlet letter- I don’t know if I would so willingly trust another one of my children in the car with her.



Bottom line: If you are expecting another Come Away With Me or The Choices We Make- you’ll be disappointed. In This Moment did not pack the emotional punch that those books did. However, if you are looking for something highly discussable or perhaps a way to start a conversation with younger drivers on ramifications of distracted driving- this book is for you. Book clubs will eat this book up!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*



**In This Moment is a May #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**

Woman (Meg) battles massive guilt after waving teenager (Jack) across the street only to watch another car hit him. How would you react? How far would you go to help the teen and his family? How do you accept responsibility for your part in the tragedy, while also moving on with your life?

"A woman with the best intentions, who once made a mistake."

I love Ms. Brown's writing style, and it always pulls me in from the very first pages! She made even the description of something as mundane as the family's morning routine and cooking eggs interesting hehe. This story dealt with a lot of complex emotions and ideas, including: guilt, grief, taking responsibility for one's actions while also knowing when to let go, wife/mother's effort to balance self, family and work, parenting difficulties, marriage, responsibility, and not judging others.

While the characters, conversations, reactions, teen attitude, and complexity of relationships were all spot on, this one just didn't affect me as much emotionally as her two previous books, Come Away with Me (5 stars) and The Choices We Make (4.5 stars).

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!